One of the most interesting recent stories that brings together the past, present and future has come out of Vietnam with an announcement that the Mekong Delta would soon be using wind turbines to meet its growing energy needs.

According to news reports, Cong Ly Company Ltd. and GE have signed a contract to develop the first phase of the Bac Lieu Wind Farm, which will total 16 megawatts of power capacity.

Can you imagine something 100 metres tall? That’s the length of one football pitch, four normal public swimming pools, or the height of a basketball hoop from the floor, 33 times over.

That’s how high the offshore turbines being installed today are. And Europe is installing more and more of them in its waters – 101 were put up and grid connected in the first six months of 2011 alone.

They may not make the headlines very often, but the EU-funded projects EWEA is involved in are key to driving the industry forward.

Frequently involving a wide range of experts and years of work, EWEA projects carry out important studies and research into areas of wind energy that are vital for the functioning of a future power system based on renewables.

Increasing concerns over the possibility of runaway climate change bounced back to the top of the agenda this week with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon saying global warming is a very real threat to international peace and security.

“Extreme weather events continue to grow more frequent and intense in rich and poor countries alike, not only devastating lives, but also infrastructure, institutions, and budgets — an unholy brew which can create dangerous security vacuums,” said Ban, addressing the Security Council’s debate on the impact of climate change on international peace and security.